Archive

Data acquired with the Large Binocular Telescope are made available to users via the LBT archive. The software system for the archive was provided by, and is maintained by, the Italian Center for Astronomical Archives (IA2). User support, storage media, and IT support are provided jointly by IA2 and LBT staff.

Users can access data in the archive via the portal.

To find data from a recent observation, use the search features of the archive. For example, enter the program ID and hit search. If your program ID spans multiple observation runs, further restrict your search using a date range.

All data acquired since February 2024 are made public 12 months after they are acquired, with a few program-specific exceptions.

To download data, you must first log in via the “login” link at the upper right of the portal screen. Login methods include edugain, Google, or self-registering. Once you are logged in, repeat the search. Selection boxes will then appear next to each file to which you have access.

Make your selections individually or use the select-all feature at the top of the list. Perform the download via the pull-down menu. The top selection (“create tar”) is usually the most expedient.

An informative tutorial introducing users to the interface is available. There are two other tutorials, tutorial-grouper, and tutorial-join, that describe how to give collaborators access to datasets and how to use features of the interface.

Useful tips are available on the left side Help Section including how to:

• Perform a search
• Data policy rules
• Access private data
• Download multiple files generating a tar archive
• Download multiple files using an external client (command line or desktop application)
• Sending data using SAMP